Fight psychology: words, words, words … 16:00 08/18/2014 How to deal with verbal abuse from opponents – Piotr Bogacz, psychologist and therapist. Not what you were looking for? Search for other text. We all know the power of words, and some fighters often try to use that power to their advantage. Words can hurt and imbalance us. Often a whispered word is enough to cause a fist fight. Sportspeople use any means necessary to get a better chance at winning, psychology included. These are the times when a match ends, even before it began. Provocation often leads to breaking rules, and disqualification. But is that what sports rivalry is all about? So, a mean word is a great way to upset our opponent ’ s balance? That is a personal matter, depending on the opponent. It also depends on the rules. Why do we fall for being provoked, when we know that it ’ s just provocation? Because we react automatically, as with any insult. What ’ s important is to keep your distance to what people say.